Can Farragut Change?

This week in the Farragut Press local people respond to the proposed roundabout sheduled for summer 2006 at Northshore Drive and Concord Road.


letters to the editor- Thu, Oct, 27, 2005 Concord reader opposes roundabout

I have read with interest the current farragutpress front-page article headlined “Concord Road signal nixed.”

The intersection involved carries vastly increasing volumes of traffic reflecting huge development of upscale, high-tax-income homes in the area. These new citizens, and existing residents, deserve some relief from the potentially fatal traffic conditions at Concord Road and Northshore Drive. In fact, we have already paid handsomely.

The traffic circle plan appears to resemble those that appeared in New England back in Model T Ford days. As automotive technology advanced, the circles became obsolete.

The need for relief is now. Surely, we can afford the expense of STOP signs and enforcement.

I thank the farragutpress for bringing this important matter to our attention.

John P. Ascher
Concord


presstalk 671-TALK- Thu, Oct, 27, 2005

• I’m totally against the roundabout at Northshore and Concord roads. Please have them do anything but put a roundabout there. A red light or leave it as it is would be much better.

• I am calling to comment on the roundabout at Concord [Road] and Northshore [Drive] and the headaches it will cause. Get out your Oct. 20 issue of the [farragut]press and read along. County Commissioner [Craig] Leuthold states that Northshore is a state highway and doesn’t warrant a traffic signal. However, there are traffic signals on the Oak Ridge Highway in Karns, and if that isn’t considered a state highway I would like to know what they consider it? Secondly, Leuthold adds that the problem with stoplight is additional lanes have to be added, but there’s not enough room. There is a stoplight at Ball Camp and Amherst, which doesn’t have any turn lanes, and that is just one of many examples I can think of. On page 8 it says that the roundabout will be expandable if Northshore is ever widened to four lanes. If they can’t find the real estate to add a turn lane, where are they going to get the room to do this? Also, why do they need to widen east bridge when cars have basically made two lanes at the stop sign anyway? Finally, do they really think people will learn to slow down and be more careful around the roundabout? Think of all the tailgaters, people who run red lights, those who speed through subdivisions. Are these people really going to care about this roundabout? I for one will not drive around this death trip. How many people have to die in crashes before road crews realize they need to think through their plans more carefully?


• As far as the roundabout goes, I think it’s ridiculous. Most people don’t understand how roundabouts work. I think it will cause accidents. What we need is a traffic light on Concord and Northshore.

• In regards to the roundabout at the end of Concord Road and Northshore, how about a three-way stop sign if they can’t afford a stoplight? But a three-way stop sign works well in other places and I think that might be better than a roundabout. I don’t think the space is big enough for a roundabout, you’d be making your turn too quickly.

• I live in Farragut and I was calling in having seen the suggestion for a roundabout at Concord and Northshore. I think that is absolutely the wrong decision at that location, and to think that all the traffic, with all of the new projects going on at Northshore, will be less of a traffic hazard there with a roundabout is pretty ridiculous. I don’t know who came up with that one, but he needs to go to school.

• About the roundabout at Concord Road and Northshore Drive, we are being sold a big lie. That a traffic light would take more room than this proposed roundabout? Look at the drawing in the farragutpress, that’s ridiculous. It’s taking five times more space than putting a traffic light in would take. Yes, turn lanes would help, but you can put a traffic light in without turn lanes and if they’re saying that [Tennessee Department of Transportation] doesn’t think it is warranted, TDOT hasn’t looked at it.

In a new article about the proposed roundabout for Northshore Drive and Concord Road the Farragut Press's editor Dan Barile writes that this roundabout, "has led some community leaders to question, why?"

Why indeed?

This is very interesting because the West District 5 commissioners are now scrambling for cover as the residents of West Knoxville have been calling and emailing them asking why this was done without the advice and consent of the local community. The people that will have to use the proposed roundabout want to know why they were not consulted. They are upset and angry.

Compare the statements from the Knoxville News Sentinel article of August 8th to the quotes from the October 20th Farragut Press. In the KNS article of August 8th Craig Leuthold says, "Because of growth in the area, that intersection gets congested every afternoon, said Commissioner Craig Leuthold, who represents the area and travels through the intersection every day."It is a bad intersection. Something needs to be done," Leuthold said." The same KNS article state that, "About 10,000 vehicles a day pass through that intersection, according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. TDOT estimates that number will grow to 16,000 in the next 15 years, Childers said."

Compare that to the October 20th Farragut Press article where Leuthold says, "Leuthold added that the intersection has been a topic of discussion for years and residents in the area questioning why a traffic signal could not be installed at the intersection had approached him. Leuthold said he turned to Knox County engineer Bruce Wuethrich for answers. I spoke with Bruce Wuethrich and he said that Northshore Drive is a state highway and according to T-DOT doesn't warrant a traffic signal, Leuthold said. Leuthold added that the problem with a turn signal is that additional lanes have to be constructed for turning lanes and that there is simply not enough real estate available to do that job. "

Stop the presses, an intersection with 10,000 vehicles a day does not warrant a traffic signal? Since when? A roundabout was the ONLY solution. Does it seem to you that a rapid response CYA campaign is under way?

But wait, there's more, "Leuthold added that the problem with a turn signal is that additional lanes have to be constructed for turning lanes and that there is simply not enough real estate available to do that job. Cindy Pionke, Knox County director of planning and development, said a roundabout was the best solution for the intersection in that area. There are several factors that rule out a turn signal at that intersection, Pionke said. The length of the turn lanes, the cost of expanding the east bridge that would support one of the turn lanes, right of way acquisition and a sink hole are a few of the issues that would have to be overcome. Leuthold said information that he had gathered indicated installing a turn signal would compound the problem at Northshore and possibly cause lengthy backups during high traffic periods.

That is simply not the case. You do not have to have the turning lanes referenced above. This is one way of designing a traffic signal at this intersection not the ONLY way. If the "sinkhole" prohibits a turnlane how can it not interfere with the roundabout? Is it one of those "turnlane specfic" sinkholes?

West District Five commissioner Mike Hammond recently, "penned a letter to TDOT head Gerald Nicely addressing the future of Northshore Drive".

"In the letter, Hammond asked Nicely to “intensify [TDOT’s] dialogue with Knox County officials regarding the future of Northshore Drive,” stating that “substantial traffic increases are projected for this two-lane road during the next five years. … There is still land to be developed in these areas, which will add more vehicles to Northshore Drive, raising safety issues along with traffic counts."

Leuthold agreed, "I’m concerned about the intersection at Northshore and Westland, about the housing and business development coming in at Northshore and Pellissippi and about a proposed Y[MCA] coming in at Concord Park across from the boat ramps,” he said."

The piece de la resistance comes from Cindy Pionke, "Currently, Pionke said, the county is moving “cautiously. We want to see how well this goes."

Did I mention that this project has been voted on and approved by Knox County Commission?

Moving "cautiously"?

Here is an idea, how about involving the local community? Would that be too much trouble?